Ex-Suntory Chairman Takeshi Niinami Referred to Prosecutors

Jiji Press

19:26 JST, April 16, 2026

Fukuoka, April 16 (Jiji Press)—The Fukuoka prefectural police on Thursday sent to public prosecutors papers on former Suntory Holdings Ltd. Chairman Takeshi Niinami for allegedly violating the narcotics control law.

The police are believed to have attached an opinion of “appropriate disposition” of Niinami, leaving the decision of whether he deserves a criminal punishment to the prosecutors.

Niinami is suspected of importing supplements containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, a potentially harmful component of cannabis, from the United States.

The 67-year-old has denied the allegations against him. The police during a search of Niinami’s home in Tokyo in August 2025 did not find any illegal supplements. He also tested negative in a simple urine test.

During a voluntary questioning, Niinami denied his involvement, saying that the supplements were sent by a woman he knew from the United States on her own volition. He at a press conference held last September maintained his innocence, saying that he did not violate the law.

Still, after coming under police investigation over the allegations, Niinami resigned as chairman of the Japanese beverage group and as head of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, or Keizai Doyukai.